Envelope opening device



June 19, 1934. sM 1,963,873

ENVELOPE OPENING DEVICE Filed Sept. 28, 1932 FIE-LL. '7 27 l Q1: ".1; I

/ 15E Z1 19 24 a 8 5 I 1||x l||nn L l INVENTOR. j FRANKI'I. 5M1 TH.

' 5 BY ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 19, 1934 UNITED STATES ENVELOPE OPENING DEVICE Frank H. Smith, Cabazon, Calif., assignor of onehalf to Carl C. Cavanah, Palm Springs, Calif.

Application September 28, 1932, Serial No. 635,286

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in envelope opening devices and has particular reference to a device for cutting the end of an envelope without mutilating the contents thereof.

Another object is to produce a' device of this character which will accommodate envelopes of varying sizes.

A further object is to produce a device of this character which is simple and therefore economical to manufacture.

A still further object is to produce a device which is transportable.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification and in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of my device,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 33 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 1, and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view taken on the line 55 of Figure 2. 7

Many methods of opening envelopes are now employed, such as the use of shears, letter-openers, knives and the like, all of which methods are slow and are apt to mutilate the contents of the envelope.

Applicant has therefore devised a letter-opener wherein a thin cutting is made along the end of the envelope, which cutting is merely sufficient to remove the fold of the paper out of which theenvelope is made, thus leaving the contents of the envelope intact.

In the accompanying drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a base having an L-shaped standard 6 which is fastened to the base 5 as by screws '7.

A bracket 8 is secured to the base at a point remote from the standard 6 and has pivoted thereto as at 9, a U-shaped member 11 which carries a table 12 having an upstanding guide 13 at one edge thereof.

The Ushaped member 11 passes through the standard 6 and also through slots 14 formed in a reciprocating blade 16. This blade has a slot 17 therethrough (see Figure 4) The blade 16 is adapted for rectilinear movement relative to the standard 6 and is slidingly held against the standard 6 by means of a spring pressed stationary blade 18 which is loosely mounted by means of bolts 19 to said standard, the free ends of the flat springs 21 tending to exert pressure against said blade 18 thereby causing said blade 18 to in turn exert frictional pressure against the slidable blade 16.

A stop 22 secured to the standard limits the distance an envelope A can pass through the opening 23 in the standard 6 and through the opening 17 in the blade 16.

The U-shaped member 11 is normally held in elevated position by expansion springs 24 which press against the base 5 and against the underside of the U-shaped member 11, which springs are held in place by the out-turned ends 26 of the U-shaped guide 27. I

Referring to Figure 3, it will be noted that the top edge of the stationary blade is cut upon a slant in order to give a shearing action.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that by placing an envelope upon the table 12, as shown in Figures land 2, in such a manner that the envelope extends through the opening in the standard and engages the stop 22, and if pressure is brought to bear upon the table so as to move the same downwardly together with its U- shaped member 11, the result will be that the blade 16 will travel downwardly by virtue of said member 11 extending through saidslotted blade 16, causing the two blades to produce a shearing action across the end of the envelope so that the envelope will be effectively opened.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes relative to the material, size, shape and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claim.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:-

In an envelope opening device of the charac ter described, a base, a slotted standard 'positioned on said base and a bracket spaced from said standard, a U-shapedmember pivoted to said bracket and extending through said slotted standard, a table carried by said U-shaped member, a guide formed at one side of said table, a stop carried by said standard and adapted to cooperate with said guide to position an envelope on said table, a spring tensioned cutting blade carried by said standard and a cooperating cutting blade carried by said U-shaped member and adapted to engage the end of said envelope to cause a shearing action to take place when said envelope bearing table is depressed, and spring means associated with said U-shaped member tending to normally urge said table to a position of rest.

FRANK H. SMITH. 

